My mother was contacted by a representative for Magical Dream Escapes who told her she had won a once-in-a-lifetime dream vacation package, including vacations to Orlando (with theme park tickets included), Ft. Lauderdale, Daytona Beach, Las Vegas, a cruise to the Bahamas, a trip to Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, and a trip to the Dominican Republic.

My mother called me and I listened in on the phone conversation and asked questions as he presented the details of her "win." The rep told her that the vacation packages were fully transferable, that any combination of up to 4 people could attend (3 adults, one child/ 4 adults/ 2 adults, 2 children) and that all the vacationer had to do was attend one 2-hour tour of a resort. The rep also said the vacations were valid for up to 3 years and told her she had also won a $1000 online shopping spree with her vacation package.

We asked many detailed questions, presented several scenarios of our family members traveling through this package, and asked about fees.

The Magical Dream Escapes rep told us that all we had to pay was hotel tax fees, approximately $13 per person per night, and assured us repeatedly that any combination of family or friends could attend.

My mother received her package in the mail and my husband and I set about booking our first trip through the package. We read the fine print and were totally dismayed.

First of all, the vacation packages place age and gender and other demographic restrictions that the rep did not mention. For example, each and every vacation requires that a married or cohabiting couple with $50, 000 or more in annual household income attend and be present together for a Resort Inspection Tour. All vacations come with age restrictions (23-70 or 35-70) for the adults who must be married or cohabiting. The cruises are invalid unless combined with another part of the vacation package, and worst of all, the fees range from $18 per person per night for U.S. locations to upwards of $125 per person per night for the cruises plus fuel and port surcharges.

Some vacations must be booked 90 days in advance, though the rep assured us that the booking time was 30 days for all domestic and 60 days for all international vacations.

My mother paid $498 for this "win", which the rep assured her was part of her fees.

After receiving the package and reading the fine print, I did additional research on the company and found many complaints on other consumer watchdog sites, most of which include the mention that Magical Dream Escapes does not offer refunds, not even for a vacation package that was seriously misrepresented by its representative.

This company clearly takes advantage of others. Even the literature accompanying the package was poorly printed and wasn't worth a tenth of what my mother paid for that booklet full of restrictions, fees, qualifications, and scam.

Someone needs to file a class action. Immediately.